The dynamic reactor behaviour of a nitrifying inverse turbulent bed reactor, operated at varying loading rate, was described with a one-dimensional two-step nitrification biofilm model. In contrast with conventional biofilm models, this model includes the competition between two genetically different populations of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), besides nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Previously gathered experimental evidence showed that different loading rates in the reactor resulted in a change in the composition of the AOB community, besides a different nitrifying performance. The dissolved oxygen concentration in the bulk liquid was put forward as the key variable governing the experimentally observed shift from Nitrosomonas europaea (AOB1) to Nitrosomonas sp. (AOB2), which was confirmed by the developed one-dimensional biofilm model. Both steady state and dynamic analysis showed that the influence of microbial growth and endogenous respiration parameters as well as external mass transfer limitation have a clear effect on the competition dynamics. Overall, it was shown that the biomass distribution profiles of the coexisting AOB reflected the ecological niches created by substrate gradients.
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Research Article|
October 22 2013
Modelling ammonium-oxidizing population shifts in a biofilm reactor
T. P. W. Vannecke;
1Department of Biosystems Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
E-mail: Thomas.Vannecke@UGent.be
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N. Bernet;
N. Bernet
2INRA, UR050, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, Avenue des Etangs, 11100 Narbonne, France
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J.-P. Steyer;
J.-P. Steyer
2INRA, UR050, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, Avenue des Etangs, 11100 Narbonne, France
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E. I. P. Volcke
E. I. P. Volcke
1Department of Biosystems Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Water Sci Technol (2014) 69 (1): 208–216.
Article history
Received:
July 04 2013
Accepted:
October 07 2013
Citation
T. P. W. Vannecke, N. Bernet, J.-P. Steyer, E. I. P. Volcke; Modelling ammonium-oxidizing population shifts in a biofilm reactor. Water Sci Technol 1 January 2014; 69 (1): 208–216. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2013.701
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T. P. W. Vannecke, N. Bernet, J.-P. Steyer, E. I. P. Volcke; Modelling ammonium-oxidizing population shifts in a biofilm reactor. Water Sci Technol 1 January 2014; 69 (1): 208–216. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2013.701
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CiteScore 2.9 • Q2